Of course, there are also crystal-clear lines. But the flourishes dominate the picture: they entwine around everything that is straight, have leaves and buds and blossoms at the ends. Of course, they don’t wither, seem to be made for eternity: In the Fürstenfeldbruck commercial area Hasenheide you are not in a garden center, but in front of the Schmiede-Kunsthaus Ott. And guesses what follows inside. Because the driveway is already bordered with wrought-iron decorative elements. Garden gate and fence are made of the same material. And the front door also looks very solid. Armored as if protecting a medieval castle. Even the doorbell fits into the picture.
The bell and the very solid-looking front door indicate the craftsmanship involved here.
(Photo: Stefan Salger)
Withering and fading is not going to happen so quickly here. And yet the days of the Kunsthaus are numbered. After 44 years, it irrevocably closes its doors. Because Berthold Ott is 75 years old. And even if his job was his calling, at some point it’s over and it’s time to retire.
Behind the heavy door, which turns out to be a normal wooden door from the inside, Ott welcomes you into his kingdom, which is full of craftsmanship. And depending on how you look at it, maybe with a bit of kitsch here and there – because it was mainly manufactured at the request of the customer. And there’s no arguing about taste, even though there may be a fine line between art and commerce at times. Many of the works that Ott commissioned from well-known master craftsmen can only be found in thick folders in the form of his construction sketches or photos. Spacious and formidable garden gates or fences would go beyond the scope of the exhibition of sample pieces. Just as interesting as the works is the transformation of the owner from an industrial clerk specializing in EDP and sales to the owner of the Brucker Schmiedekunsthaus.
The wine decanter is a masterpiece of craftsmanship.
(Photo: Stefan Salger)
It all started in the 1970s during a trip through Austria, South Tyrol, Tuscany and Florence. At that time, Ott paid particular attention to architecture and art in construction – such as the finely designed wrought iron work on houses and public squares. “It got me.” It only matured into a business idea a little later – when Ott was at the trade fair in Munich at the stand of a long-established blacksmith from the Bregenz Forest and heard that they were looking for a partner to expand to southern Bavaria. After a few days of reflection, Ott sets the course. His middle-class job is good and safe, “but somehow nothing to touch”. So he hangs it up and founds his own craft art house.
On offer are works for house and yard, made of iron, bronze or stainless steel, as well as restored antique furniture and many small gifts. A combination that has stood the test of time. Ott, a passionate amateur painter in his younger years, finds his calling in advising customers, working out true-to-scale drafts of the one-off productions and taking the statics into account. In difficult cases, he sometimes comes along to the final assembly.
Lamps seem to climb along the wall.
(Photo: Stefan Salger)
In Fürstenfeldbruck there are always a few patterns to help you get your bearings – such as the hot-dip galvanized railing in the glow of the playful bronze lamps that climb along the wall. Anyone who thinks that doors, window grilles and the like are boring fields doesn’t know Ott. He pulls a photo out of a folder that shows a goal. A small door is embedded in one of the two large entrance gate wings as a passage. There’s no such thing off the peg. Just as little as the wine decanter that is in the exhibition room – a masterpiece of blacksmithing with sophisticated mechanics. It should probably be worth around 3000 euros.
The exhibits are still for sale. Then it’s over with the blacksmith’s house. Ott’s son is 52. It has long been clear that he does not want to continue the family business because he is self-employed. And so Ott separates himself from one or the other piece. There’s still time to take a seat on the bench with the wrought-iron armrests, switch on the light and stroke the wrought-iron decorative elements between the couch and the cupboards again.
A man from California once ordered a stair railing that he had seen pictures of on the internet. And Ott shipped ten wall lamps to a customer in Tokyo. Now Berthold Ott will soon have more time himself to travel the world.
Schmiede-Kunsthaus, Am Hardtanger 9, Fürstenfeldbruck: Sale of exhibits on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and by appointment by phone 0172/96 79 016 or by email to [email protected]